The punch to his chest finally caused Olivier to wake up. His body was drenched in sweat. He realized that he had been behaving abnormally, mad, addicted.
What's going on? What?!
Olivier didn't have time to find an answer to his questions. The meat ball could attack any second. Olivier hastily tried to get up.
"AHH!"
Another scream escaped his lips. In his confusion he hadn't remembered his broken arm, using it to support his body. Immediately he broke down from the pain, curling his body up. To his luck a light swoosh came right at that moment. The meat ball had attacked again, flying over his body, and only landing after a few meters.
Olivier raised his head, his vision blurred from tears. Watching the meat ball, he knew that now was his best chance. He gritted his teeth and stood up without repeating the same mistake.
Back on his feet he mobilized all the strength and resolve he had left to sprint towards the house. It was the only thing which could save him from the meat ball lying not far away, apparently getting ready for the next attack.
However, after taking only a few steps Olivier once again felt a pleasant sensation. This time it came without him killing a meat ball. It originated from his heart and cycled through his body, quickly healing his injuries, bringing him indescribable comfort.
Right then Olivier felt a light touch on his back. He turned around, noticing the meat ball laying on the ground. It bounced around before swiftly aiming for his chest again.
Olivier swung his hand. The meat ball exploded, and a warm current entered his body. Olivier's breath grew hot, and an insidious voice whispered in his mind, urging him to kill more meat balls.
"NO!"
With a shout Olivier got rid of the intrusive thoughts. He slowly calmed down, regaining control over his body. What happened over the last few minutes left him with a load of doubts.
From killing the strange creature with a touch to going mad, his vision recovering, to getting injured and escaping back to a seemingly safe zone. None of this made any sense. There was no logical explanation.
Olivier's mind was in a strange state between being chaotic and empty as he robotically walked back to the house. He stopped on the threshold, looking outside with a forlorn expression.
A low thud sounded behind him. He turned around slowly and found the black cat sitting on one of the tables. She looked him up and down and shook her head.
At this point Olivier wasn't even shocked by the human-like behaviour. He asked in a hoarse voice:
"Was it you who brought me here? Are you some kind of god? A demon? What do you want from me?"
The black cat rolled her eyes. She waved her paw in a signal for Olivier to follow her and jumped from the table. With the elegance of a queen she strolled around the counter, approaching the door Olivier came from.
Olivier mechanically followed the black cat. His face remained numb as he commented her next action:
"Of course you know how to open a door..."
The strange duo walked up the stairs and back to the bedroom. There was still only little light falling into the room. But it was unsurprising. They were on a rock drifting through space after all.
Olivier averted his gaze from the window and focused on the black cat, who had come to a stop next to an ancient looking mirror. The black cat's eyes were fixed on Olivier, her paw pointing at the mirror.
Taking a deep breath Olivier carefully stepped forward and looked at himself in the mirror. Before he could take a good look, his newly recovered eye surged with warmth before quickly calming down again.
After the strange sensation was gone Olivier opened his eyes. What he saw first was a numb face. It was a bit emaciated, the skin was pale under a layer of dirt. Yet its eyes were shining brightly, one a striking blue and one a hazel brown.
Olivier slowly moved his hand upwards, holding it before his regrown eye, still not able to accept what was happening.
When Olivier focused on the rest of the mirror he couldn't help but shiver. He found his body, clad in warm pyjamas, standing in what seemed to be an ancient castle, dark and eerie. The shadows reached out with thin arms, grabbing onto his unkempt black hair.
Behind him growing out of the wall made from stone was a large eyeball which focused on him. Olivier had trouble brining his breath under control. He rigidly glanced over his shoulder, but he only found the cozy bedroom.
Olivier forcefully calmed himself down, telling himself that what he saw in the mirror was not real! He carefully turned his head back but the mirror image had not changed.
However, there was something else he hadn't noticed previously. It were only two lines of text without further description.
Lifespan: 25,3/35,1
Initial Eyes of Truth
Olivier smiled wryly. There was no guarantee that the what the mirror showed was accurate but his lifespan only being 35 years was not unrealistic.
He never had a good life. Running away from home, living in grime and dirt. Even losing an eye. All of these surely weren't conductive to his health. Olivier was only 25 years old, but he didn't know if he could endure another 10 years. Was it even worth it to endure? Olivier shook his head with a sigh.
"Ah!"
Olivier's dark thoughts were interrupted by someone scratching his foot. A drop of blood rolled down, but the wound healed immediately. Olivier glared angrily at the black cat who was already sitting on his bed.
"What do you want from me?!"
Silent as ever the black cat pointed towards the tall closet. Olivier frowned unhappily walking over and opening the doors wide. What he found inside were multiple sets of the same black and white tailcoats.
"You want me to put these on?"
Olivier saw the cat nodding out of the corner of his eyes. He stood still staring ahead and contemplating if he should follow the orders of a cat. The situation was too bizarre. Honestly, Olivier didn't have a strong desire to go back to his old shack, but he still wished to figure out what was going on. How had he appeared here? In the middle of nowhere.
But noticing the increasing impatience in the black cat's eyes and knowing he had no other options Olivier eventually relented with a sigh. He took off his pyjamas and put on one of the tailcoats. The watching cat didn't matter. Privacy was a luxury where Olivier came from. One he could never afford.
Clad in new clothes Olivier looked at himself in the mirror again. The fact that his face got magically cleaned at some point didn't even register in his mind. Olivier moved his eyes up and down and a small smile formed on his lips.
It had been a long time since he looked this… civilized. His short black hair was smoothly parted in the middle and even had a gave off a light gleam. His skin was fair, freed from the blemishes caused by living years as a homeless person. Only the signs of emaciation couldn't be hidden.
After admiring himself for a while Olivier turned towards the black cat. She seemed pleased that Olivier finally accepted her as the boss, raising her head as she pointed at the door.
Olivier understood and left the room. He found a light switch and made some light in the hallway. It flickered ominously, revealing three more doors.
Meanwhile, the black cat jumped down from the bed. She elegantly walked in front of the mirror. Again, the image of a large castle appeared. A black cat stood on cold stone floor with a look of disdain. But there was no sign of any shadows. It wasn't that the black cat illuminated the room but rather it seemed that the shadows themselves feared the cat, retreating towards the corners, far away from her.
The black cat fletched her teeth before turning around and also walking out of the room.
Olivier hadn't noticed any of it. He was pondering a question:
"What's behind those doors?"
Glancing at the black cat he saw her making an inviting gesture. Olivier was past worrying at this point. He approached the closest door and pulled on its lever. The door was closed.
When Olivier looked back towards the black cat in annoyance the feline was already on her way back to the stairs. Annoyed, Olivier followed her, and the strange duo entered the café again. The black cat jumped on the counter, staring silently at Olivier.
"What? What do you want me to do now?"
The black cat tapped along the counter, stopping in front of a small package. With a light push she tipped it over. Olivier stared at the package, reading only a single word on it.
Coffee